Blood of Palomar

Book excerpt: A serial killer stalks the usually placid streets of the tiny Central American town of Palomar in "Human Diastrophism," the novel-length story in this all-Gilbert Hernandez Love & Rockets Collection. The tangible loss of life is accompanied by the less tangible but no less real loss of the social and psychological ligaments that bind the inhabitants of Palomar together. As the story progresses, it becomes evident that the killer is merely the most obvious symptom of the encroaching modern world; even after the crisis is resolved, the ripples continue to spread throughout Palomar... With over three dozen sharply etched characters interwoven in a confidently complex narrative, "Blood of Palomar" confirms Gilbert Hernandez's position as one of the finest and boldest comics storytellers of his generation. Book jacket.